The LinkedIn Saga: Once a Fauzi, Always Under Surveillance

Its Lunch break, just as I was about to take the first bite, I got a call from Sergeant R ....R LU. Tone was serious, almost like he’d caught me sneaking across the LOC. His charge?

“Why did you open a LinkedIn profile while still in service—just a month before retirement?”

Now, pardon me, but LinkedIn isn’t exactly a nuclear launch console. Still, he demanded an explanation as though I had shared battle plans with Mickey Mouse.

The LinkedIn Crime Scene

Truth is, I opened that account only because I was quitting the Forces and stepping into civvy street. New life, new struggles, new profile picture in blazer instead of Sky Blue. If some Brookslee or Donald Duck decided to send me a friend request, is that my fault—even after three years?

“Negative Serge"

Being the obedient veteran that I am, I checked my inbox. And checked again. Even scanned the Spam folder like a minefield clearance operation. Report came back loud and clear in fauzi language: “Negative Serge, over and out.”

But our dear Sgt wasn’t convinced. “Check once more,” he insisted, as if somewhere between Gmail and Spam, a cyber spy was hiding in my junk mail.

Doubts Arise

That’s when it hit me: Is this gentleman even real? Or a cyber phantom sent by LinkedIn’s Secret Service?

So I began my own investigation into Mr. R R And guess what—suddenly he became very shy, conveniently dodging my queries. The hunter was becoming the hunted.

Tug of War

Now, I may be retired, but I’m still a Fauzi. Irritating the arrogant has always been my cardio. So began a jugular tug of war—me volleying questions, him ducking like a boxer past his prime.

Just when the duel was getting spicy, his CO entered the chat declaring judgment like a referee stopping a wrestling match .But, the real question still hunts me... how many cross checking they have done with top level retired veterans...

Moral of the Story

Once a Fauzi, you never really retire.

Open a LinkedIn profile, and suddenly it feels like a court of inquiry.

Freedom? Forget it. As they say: Once a Fauzi, you lose your freedom forever.

So here I am, three years post-service, still being questioned over a social network I barely use. Lesson learnt: Opening LinkedIn is more dangerous than opening a classified file.

At least in the Air Force I knew who was watching me. On LinkedIn, it could be anyone—from Brookslee to Mickey Mouse.